Plymouth State freshman Stephanie Newmark, following the play during a game earlier this year, was selected to the 2011 Australian women's national team. The defenseman will suit up for Australia at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Division III World Women's Championship. (Courtesy Photo/PSU Athletic Department)

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth State freshman Stephanie Newmark headed home, and she hopes to return to Plymouth in about a week with a gold medal.

Newmark, a defenseman on the PSU women's hockey team of Sydney, Australia, was selected for the 2011 Australian women's national team. She played in the Panthers' 9-0 loss to Holy Cross last Wednesday night and boarded a plane Thursday for a 30-hour flight to Australia, the host of the International Ice Hockey Federation's Division III World Women's Championship.

She'll be on the ice with her Australian teammates today for their opener against Belgium.

"It's an honor because it's playing for your country," Newmark said. "I get to play in the worlds, which not many people get to do."

Newmark, in fact, is entering her second stint with Australia. She was part of the 2008 national team that placed sixth in Division II in Finland.

"I don't think there is a No. 1 thing," Newmark said of her excitement. "I'm excited to see all those people again. I've played with most of these people before so we're good friends. I've played against lots of them. I think it's going to be really cool to play other countries. It's also summer down there, to get away from this winter for a little bit. There's multiple things that I'm excited for."

Australia first tried to qualify for the worlds in 2000 and was placed in Division III three years later after the IIHF introduced a new format. It has been promoted as high as Division II since and had its best showing in 2004, when it finished fifth in D-II and 20th overall.

This year in Division III, the team will face off against Belgium, Slovenia, Netherlands, Hungary and Croatia at the HISS Arena in Newcastle, Australia.

The Championship ends on Feb. 6, and Newmark plans to rejoin the Panthers in plenty of time for their home game against New England College on Saturday, Feb. 11.

"It's tough to leave because I've grown close with almost everyone on the team," Newmark said of her PSU teammates. "They are a great group of girls. They were all happy for me. They said congratulations. They all wished me good luck because they know I'm representing my country.

"And I'm only missing two games," she added. "So I'll be back for the rest of the season."

Newmark has appeared in all 18 games for the Panthers this season, recording two assists and 15 shots, which ranks third on the team. The season, however, has been another struggle for PSU, which is 0-17-1 and hasn't celebrated a victory since February of 2009, a span of 44 games. The Panthers last win came in their final home game of the 2009 season, a 5-4 win in overtime over Nichols.

Newmark, who moved to the states with her family hoping to sharpen her hockey experience, thinks her college team is close to turning a corner.

"I absolutely love the school," she said of the university. "I love the girls. Unfortunately we're not having a winning season, but if you actually look at the stats we've completely cut down the goals against pretty much in half. We've already scored twice as many goals as we did last year. So even though we might not be winning a lot of games, we're definitely doing really well in terms of previous years."

Newmark attended Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough, Mass., and has been playing hockey for 11 years. In her first run at the worlds, Australia finished in 21st place and sixth in Division II.